The Young Elephants of Côte d’Ivoire fully avenged their earlier defeat by Nigeria’s Flying Eagles, securing a 2-0 win in the second of two friendly matches at the Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny in Abidjan on Friday evening.
Aliyu Zubairu’s side had emerged 2-0 winners in the first encounter on Wednesday, but the Young Elephants responded strongly, asserting their dominance on home turf.
The game’s overall tempo and dynamics were markedly different from the previous match, with Côte d’Ivoire controlling possession and keeping the visitors under pressure throughout.
The hosts took the lead in the 17th minute, courtesy of a goal from Tape Yaya Kader. They doubled their advantage eight minutes into the second half with a penalty converted by Isaac Cissé.